3 @setfilename ../../info/erc
9 This manual is for ERC version 5.3.
11 Copyright @copyright{} 2005-2012
12 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
16 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
17 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
18 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
19 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
20 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
22 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
23 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
24 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
26 All Emacs Lisp code contained in this document may be used, distributed,
27 and modified without restriction.
31 @dircategory Emacs network features
33 * ERC: (erc). Powerful and extensible IRC client for Emacs.
38 @subtitle a full-featured IRC client
39 @subtitle for Emacs and XEmacs
41 @c The following two commands
42 @c start the copyright page.
44 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
58 * Introduction:: What is ERC?
59 * Obtaining ERC:: How to get ERC releases and development
61 * Installation:: Compiling and installing ERC.
62 * Getting Started:: Quick Start guide to using ERC.
63 * Keystroke Summary:: Keystrokes used in ERC buffers.
64 * Modules:: Available modules for ERC.
65 * Advanced Usage:: Cool ways of using ERC.
66 * Getting Help and Reporting Bugs::
67 * History:: The history of ERC.
68 * Copying:: The GNU General Public License gives you
69 permission to redistribute ERC on
70 certain terms; it also explains that
72 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
73 * Concept Index:: Search for terms.
76 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
80 * Releases:: Released versions of ERC.
81 * Development:: Latest unreleased development changes.
85 * Sample Session:: Example of connecting to the #emacs channel
86 * Special Features:: Differences from standalone IRC clients
90 * Connecting:: Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
91 * Sample Configuration:: An example configuration file.
92 * Options:: Options that are available for ERC.
100 ERC is a powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs.
102 It comes with the following capabilities enabled by default.
107 @item Join channels automatically
108 @item Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text
109 @item Wrap long lines
110 @item Highlight or remove IRC control characters
111 @item Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords
112 @item Detect netsplits
113 @item Complete nicknames and commands in a programmable fashion
114 @item Make displayed lines read-only
116 @item Track channel activity in the mode-line
121 @chapter Obtaining ERC
124 * Releases:: Released versions of ERC.
125 * Development:: Latest unreleased development changes.
128 Note that some ERC files are not included with Emacs due to copyright or
129 dependency issues. If desired, they may be found at the following
130 locations, or from your local GNU mirror.
133 @item @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc/erc-5.3-extras.tar.gz}
134 @item @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc/erc-5.3-extras.zip}
137 The rest of this chapter may be skipped if you are using the version of
138 ERC that comes with Emacs.
143 Choose to install a release if you want to minimize risk.
145 Errors are corrected in development first. User-visible changes will be
146 announced on the @email{erc-discuss@@gnu.org} mailing list.
147 @pxref{Getting Help and Reporting Bugs}.
149 @cindex releases, Debian package
150 @cindex Debian package for ERC
151 Debian users can get ERC via apt-get. The @file{erc} package is
152 available in the official Debian repository.
154 @cindex releases, from source
155 Alternatively, you can download the latest release from
156 @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc}, or your local GNU mirror.
162 Choose the development version if you want to live on the bleeding edge
163 of ERC development or try out new features before release.
165 @cindex git version control system, using
166 The git version control system allows you to keep up-to-date with the
167 latest changes to the development version of ERC. It also allows you
168 to contribute changes (via commits, if you are have developer access to
169 the repository, or via patches, otherwise). If you would like to
170 contribute to ERC development, it is highly recommended that you use
173 If you are new to git, you might find this tutorial helpful:
174 @uref{http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/gittutorial.html}.
176 Downloading ERC with git and staying up-to-date involves the following
183 @item Debian and Ubuntu: @kbd{apt-get install git-core}.
184 @item Windows: @uref{http://git.or.cz/gitwiki/WindowsInstall}.
185 @item Other operating systems: download, compile, and install the source
186 from @uref{http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/}, or find a git
187 package for your operating system.
190 @item Download the ERC development branch.
192 If you have developer access to ERC, do:
195 git clone ssh://loginname@@git.sv.gnu.org/srv/git/erc.git
201 git clone git://git.sv.gnu.org/erc.git
204 If you are behind a restrictive firewall, and do not have developer
205 access, then do the following instead:
208 git clone http://git.sv.gnu.org/r/erc.git
211 @item List upstream changes that are missing from your local copy.
212 Do this whenever you want to see whether new changes have been committed
213 to ERC. If you wish, you may skip this step and proceed directly to
217 # Change to the source directory you are interested in.
220 # Fetch new changes from the repository, but don't apply them yet
223 # Display log messages for the new changes
227 ``origin'' is git's name for the location where you originally got ERC
228 from. You can change this location at any time by editing the
229 @file{.git/config} file in the directory where the ERC source was
232 @cindex updating ERC with git
233 @item Update to the latest version by pulling in any missing changes.
240 git will show how many files changed, and will provide a visual display
241 for how many lines were changed in each file.
245 There are other ways to interact with the ERC repository.
248 @item Browse git repo: @uref{http://git.sv.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=erc.git}
249 @item Latest development snapshot: @uref{http://mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.tar.gz}
250 @item Latest development snapshot (zip file): @uref{http://mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.zip}
253 The latest development snapshot can lag behind the git repo by as much
254 as 20 minutes, but never more than that.
256 For further information on committing changes to ERC and performing
257 development, please consult
258 @uref{http://emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/ErcDevelopment}.
262 @chapter Installation
264 ERC may be compiled and installed on your machine.
266 This section may be skipped if you are using the version of ERC that
269 @subsubheading Compilation
271 This is an optional step, since Emacs Lisp source code does not
272 necessarily have to be byte-compiled. It will yield a speed increase,
275 A working copy of Emacs or XEmacs is needed in order to compile ERC. By
276 default, the program that is installed with the name @command{emacs}
279 If you want to use the @command{xemacs} binary to perform the
280 compilation, you would need to edit @file{Makefile} in the top-level
281 directory as follows. You can put either a full path to an Emacs or
282 XEmacs binary or just the command name, as long as it is in the
287 SITEFLAG = -no-site-file
290 Running @code{make} should compile the ERC source files in the
291 @file{lisp} directory.
293 @subsubheading Installation
295 ERC may be installed into your file hierarchy by doing the following.
297 Edit the @file{Makefile} file so that @env{ELISPDIR} points to where you
298 want the source and compiled ERC files to be installed and
299 @env{INFODIR} indicates where to put the ERC manual. Of course, you
300 will want to edit @env{EMACS} and @env{SITEFLAG} as shown in the
301 Compilation section if you are using XEmacs.
303 If you are installing ERC on a Debian system, you might want to change
304 the value of @env{INSTALLINFO} as specified in @file{Makefile}.
306 Run @code{make} as a normal user.
308 Run @code{make install} as the root user if you have chosen installation
309 locations that require this.
312 @node Getting Started
313 @chapter Getting Started
316 To use ERC, add the directory containing its files to your
317 @code{load-path} variable, in your @file{.emacs} file. Then, load ERC
318 itself. An example follows.
324 Once ERC is loaded, the command @kbd{M-x erc} will start ERC and
325 prompt for the server to connect to.
327 If you want to place ERC settings in their own file, you can place them
328 in @file{~/.emacs.d/.ercrc.el}, creating it if necessary.
330 If you would rather use the Customize interface to change how ERC works,
331 do @kbd{M-x customize-group RET erc RET}. In particular, ERC comes with
332 lots of modules that may be enabled or disabled; to select which ones
333 you want, do @kbd{M-x customize-variable RET erc-modules RET}.
336 * Sample Session:: Example of connecting to the #emacs channel
337 * Special Features:: Differences from standalone IRC clients
341 @section Sample Session
343 This is an example ERC session which shows how to connect to the #emacs
344 channel on Freenode. Another IRC channel on Freenode that may be of
345 interest is #erc, which is a channel where ERC users and developers hang
350 @item Connect to Freenode
352 Run @kbd{M-x erc}. Use ``irc.freenode.net'' as the IRC server, ``6667''
353 as the port, and choose a nickname.
355 @item Get used to the interface
357 Switch to the ``irc.freenode.net:6667'' buffer, if you're not already
358 there. You will see first some messages about checking for ident, and
359 then a bunch of other messages that describe the current IRC server.
361 @item Join the #emacs channel
363 In that buffer, type ``/join SPC #emacs'' and hit @kbd{RET}. Depending
364 on how you've set up ERC, either a new buffer for ``#emacs'' will be
365 displayed, or a new buffer called ``#emacs'' will be created in the
366 background. If the latter, switch to the ``#emacs'' buffer. You will
367 see the channel topic and a list of the people who are currently on the
370 @item Register your nickname with Freenode
372 If you would like to be able to talk with people privately on the
373 Freenode network, you will have to ``register'' your nickname. To do
374 so, switch to the ``irc.freenode.net:6667'' buffer and type ``/msg
375 NickServ register <password>'', replacing ``<password>'' with your
376 desired password. It should tell you that the operation was successful.
378 @item Talk to people in the channel
380 If you switch back to the ``#emacs'' buffer, you can type a message, and
381 everyone on the channel will see it.
383 @item Open a query buffer to talk to someone
385 If you want to talk with someone in private (this should usually not be
386 done for technical help, only for personal questions), type ``/query
387 <nick>'', replacing ``<nick>'' with the nickname of the person you would
388 like to talk to. Depending on how ERC is set up, you will either see a
389 new buffer with the name of the person, or such a buffer will be created
390 in the background and you will have to switch to it. Begin typing
391 messages, and you will be able to have a conversation.
393 Note that if the other person is not registered, you will not be able to
398 @node Special Features
399 @section Special Features
401 ERC has some features that distinguish it from some IRC clients.
405 @item multiple channels and multiple servers
407 Every channel is put in a separate buffer. Several IRC servers may be
408 connected to at the same time.
410 @cindex query buffers
411 @item private message separation
413 Private conversations are treated as channels, and are put into separate
414 buffers in Emacs. We call these ``query buffers''.
418 Some occurrences of words can be highlighted, which makes it easier to
419 track different kinds of conversations.
423 ERC can notify you that certain users are online.
425 @item channel tracking
427 Channels can be hidden and conversation continue in the background. You
428 are notified when something is said in such a channel that is not
429 currently visible. This makes it easy to get Real Work done while still
430 maintaining an IRC presence.
432 @item nick completion
434 ERC can complete words upon hitting @kbd{TAB}, which eases the writing
435 of nicknames in messages.
440 Past actions are kept in history rings for future use. To navigate a
441 history ring, hit @kbd{M-p} to go backwards and @kbd{M-n} to go
444 @item multiple languages
446 Different channels and servers may have different language encodings.
448 In addition, it is possible to translate the messages that ERC uses into
449 multiple languages. Please contact the developers of ERC at
450 @email{erc-discuss@@gnu.org} if you are interested in helping with the
455 Users can load scripts (e.g. auto greeting scripts) when ERC starts up.
457 It is also possible to make custom IRC commands, if you know a little
458 Emacs Lisp. Just make an Emacs Lisp function and call it
459 @code{erc-cmd-NEWCOMMAND}, where @code{NEWCOMMAND} is the name of the
460 new command in capital letters.
464 If the connection goes away at some point, ERC will try to reconnect
465 automatically. If it fails to reconnect, and you want to try to
466 manually reestablish the connection at some later point, switch to an
467 ERC buffer and run the @code{/RECONNECT} command.
472 @node Keystroke Summary
473 @chapter Keys Used in ERC
476 This is a summary of keystrokes available in every ERC buffer.
480 @item C-a or <home> (`erc-bol')
481 Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.
483 @item RET (`erc-send-current-line')
484 Send the current line
486 @item TAB (`erc-complete-word')
487 If at prompt, complete the current word.
488 Otherwise, move to the next link or button.
490 @item M-TAB (`ispell-complete-word')
491 Complete the given word, using ispell.
493 @item C-c C-a (`erc-bol')
494 Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.
496 @item C-c C-b (`erc-iswitchb')
497 Use `iswitchb-read-buffer' to prompt for a ERC buffer to switch to.
499 @item C-c C-c (`erc-toggle-interpret-controls')
500 Toggle interpretation of control sequences in messages.
502 @item C-c C-d (`erc-input-action')
503 Interactively input a user action and send it to IRC.
505 @item C-c C-e (`erc-toggle-ctcp-autoresponse')
506 Toggle automatic CTCP replies (like VERSION and PING).
508 @item C-c C-f (`erc-toggle-flood-control')
509 Toggle use of flood control on sent messages.
511 @item C-c TAB (`erc-invite-only-mode')
512 Turn on the invite only mode (+i) for the current channel.
514 @item C-c C-j (`erc-join-channel')
515 Join channel. If point is at the beginning of a channel name, use that
518 @item C-c C-k (`erc-go-to-log-matches-buffer')
519 Interactively open an erc-log-matches buffer
521 @item C-c C-l (`erc-save-buffer-in-logs')
522 Append buffer contents to the log file, if logging is enabled.
524 @item C-c C-n (`erc-channel-names')
525 Run "/names #channel" in the current channel.
527 @item C-c C-o (`erc-get-channel-mode-from-keypress')
528 Read a key sequence and call the corresponding channel mode function.
529 After doing @kbd{C-c C-o}, type in a channel mode letter.
531 @kbd{C-g} means quit.
532 @kbd{RET} lets you type more than one mode at a time.
533 If @kbd{l} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-limit} gets called.
534 If @kbd{k} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-key} gets called.
535 Anything else will be sent to `erc-toggle-channel-mode'.
537 @item C-c C-p (`erc-part-from-channel')
538 Part from the current channel and prompt for a reason.
540 @item C-c C-q (`erc-quit-server')
541 Disconnect from current server after prompting for reason.
543 @item C-c C-r (`erc-remove-text-properties-region')
544 Clears the region (start,end) in object from all colors, etc.
546 @item C-c C-t (`erc-set-topic')
547 Prompt for a topic for the current channel.
549 @item C-c C-u (`erc-kill-input')
550 Kill current input line using `erc-bol' followed by `kill-line'.
559 One way to add functionality to ERC is to customize which of its many
562 There is a spiffy customize interface, which may be reached by typing
563 @kbd{M-x customize-option erc-modules RET}. Alternatively, set
564 @code{erc-modules} manually and then call @code{erc-update-modules}.
566 The following is a list of available modules.
570 @cindex modules, autoaway
572 Set away status automatically
574 @cindex modules, autojoin
576 Join channels automatically
578 @cindex modules, bbdb
580 Integrate with the Big Brother Database
582 @cindex modules, button
584 Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text
586 @cindex modules, capab-identify
588 Mark unidentified users on freenode and other servers supporting CAPAB.
590 @cindex modules, completion
591 @cindex modules, pcomplete
592 @item completion (aka pcomplete)
593 Complete nicknames and commands (programmable)
595 @cindex modules, fill
599 @cindex modules, hecomplete
601 Complete nicknames and commands (old). This is the old module---you
602 might prefer the ``completion'' module instead.
604 @cindex modules, identd
606 Launch an identd server on port 8113
608 @cindex modules, irccontrols
610 Highlight or remove IRC control characters
616 @cindex modules, match
618 Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords
620 @cindex modules, menu
622 Display a menu in ERC buffers
624 @cindex modules, netsplit
628 @cindex modules, noncommands
630 Don't display non-IRC commands after evaluation
632 @cindex modules, notify
634 Notify when the online status of certain users changes
636 @cindex modules, page
638 Process CTCP PAGE requests from IRC
640 @cindex modules, readonly
642 Make displayed lines read-only
644 @cindex modules, replace
646 Replace text in messages
648 @cindex modules, ring
650 Enable an input history
652 @cindex modules, scrolltobottom
654 Scroll to the bottom of the buffer
656 @cindex modules, services
658 Identify to Nickserv (IRC Services) automatically
660 @cindex modules, smiley
662 Convert smileys to pretty icons
664 @cindex modules, sound
666 Play sounds when you receive CTCP SOUND requests
668 @cindex modules, spelling
670 Check spelling of messages
672 @cindex modules, stamp
674 Add timestamps to messages
676 @cindex modules, track
678 Track channel activity in the mode-line
680 @cindex modules, truncate
682 Truncate buffers to a certain size
684 @cindex modules, unmorse
686 Translate morse code in messages
690 @c PRE5_4: Document every option of every module in its own subnode
694 @chapter Advanced Usage
695 @cindex advanced topics
698 * Connecting:: Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
699 * Sample Configuration:: An example configuration file.
700 * Options:: Options that are available for ERC.
704 @section Connecting to an IRC Server
707 The easiest way to connect to an IRC server is to call @kbd{M-x erc}.
708 If you want to assign this function to a keystroke, the following will
709 help you figure out its parameters.
712 Select connection parameters and run ERC.
713 Non-interactively, it takes the following keyword arguments.
720 @item @var{full-name}
723 That is, if called with the following arguments, @var{server} and
724 @var{full-name} will be set to those values, whereas
725 @code{erc-compute-port}, @code{erc-compute-nick} and
726 @code{erc-compute-full-name} will be invoked for the values of the other
730 (erc :server "irc.freenode.net" :full-name "Harry S Truman")
736 @defun erc-compute-server &optional server
737 Return an IRC server name.
739 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
743 @item @var{server} (the argument passed to this function)
744 @item The @code{erc-server} option
745 @item The value of the IRCSERVER environment variable
746 @item The @code{erc-default-server} variable
751 @defopt erc-server nil
752 IRC server to use if one is not provided.
757 @defun erc-compute-port &optional port
758 Return a port for an IRC server.
760 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
764 @item @var{port} (the argument passed to this function)
765 @item The @code{erc-port} option
766 @item The @code{erc-default-port} variable
772 IRC port to use if not specified.
774 This can be either a string or a number.
779 @defun erc-compute-nick &optional nick
780 Return user's IRC nick.
782 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
783 non-nil value is found.
786 @item @var{nick} (the argument passed to this function)
787 @item The @code{erc-nick} option
788 @item The value of the IRCNICK environment variable
789 @item The result from the @code{user-login-name} function
795 Nickname to use if one is not provided.
797 This can be either a string, or a list of strings.
798 In the latter case, if the first nick in the list is already in use,
799 other nicks are tried in the list order.
802 @defopt erc-nick-uniquifier
803 The string to append to the nick if it is already in use.
806 @defopt erc-try-new-nick-p
807 If the nickname you chose isn't available, and this option is non-nil,
808 ERC should automatically attempt to connect with another nickname.
810 You can manually set another nickname with the /NICK command.
813 @subheading Full name
815 @defun erc-compute-full-name &optional full-name
816 Return user's full name.
818 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
819 non-nil value is found.
822 @item @var{full-name} (the argument passed to this function)
823 @item The @code{erc-user-full-name} option
824 @item The value of the IRCNAME environment variable
825 @item The result from the @code{user-full-name} function
830 @defopt erc-user-full-name
833 This can be either a string or a function to call.
836 @node Sample Configuration
837 @section Sample Configuration
838 @cindex configuration, sample
840 Here is an example of configuration settings for ERC. This can go into
841 your Emacs configuration file. Everything after the @code{(require
842 'erc)} command can optionally go into @file{~/.emacs.d/.ercrc.el}.
845 ;;; Sample ERC configuration
847 ;; Add the ERC directory to load path -- you don't need this if you are
848 ;; using the version of ERC that comes with Emacs
849 (add-to-list 'load-path "~/elisp/erc")
854 ;; Load authentication info from an external source. Put sensitive
855 ;; passwords and the like in here.
856 (load "~/.emacs.d/.erc-auth")
858 ;; This is an example of how to make a new command. Type "/uptime" to
860 (defun erc-cmd-UPTIME (&rest ignore)
861 "Display the uptime of the system, as well as some load-related
862 stuff, to the current ERC buffer."
864 (replace-regexp-in-string
865 ", load average: " "] @{Load average@} ["
866 ;; Collapse spaces, remove
867 (replace-regexp-in-string
869 ;; Remove beginning and trailing whitespace
870 (replace-regexp-in-string
872 (shell-command-to-string "uptime"))))))
874 (concat "@{Uptime@} [" uname-output "]"))))
876 ;; This causes ERC to connect to the Freenode network upon hitting
877 ;; C-c e f. Replace MYNICK with your IRC nick.
878 (global-set-key "\C-cef" (lambda () (interactive)
879 (erc :server "irc.freenode.net" :port "6667"
882 ;; This causes ERC to connect to the IRC server on your own machine (if
883 ;; you have one) upon hitting C-c e b. Replace MYNICK with your IRC
884 ;; nick. Often, people like to run bitlbee (http://bitlbee.org/) as an
885 ;; AIM/Jabber/MSN to IRC gateway, so that they can use ERC to chat with
886 ;; people on those networks.
887 (global-set-key "\C-ceb" (lambda () (interactive)
888 (erc :server "localhost" :port "6667"
891 ;; Make C-c RET (or C-c C-RET) send messages instead of RET. This has
892 ;; been commented out to avoid confusing new users.
893 ;; (define-key erc-mode-map (kbd "RET") nil)
894 ;; (define-key erc-mode-map (kbd "C-c RET") 'erc-send-current-line)
895 ;; (define-key erc-mode-map (kbd "C-c C-RET") 'erc-send-current-line)
899 ;; Join the #emacs and #erc channels whenever connecting to Freenode.
900 (setq erc-autojoin-channels-alist '(("freenode.net" "#emacs" "#erc")))
902 ;; Interpret mIRC-style color commands in IRC chats
903 (setq erc-interpret-mirc-color t)
905 ;; The following are commented out by default, but users of other
906 ;; non-Emacs IRC clients might find them useful.
907 ;; Kill buffers for channels after /part
908 ;; (setq erc-kill-buffer-on-part t)
909 ;; Kill buffers for private queries after quitting the server
910 ;; (setq erc-kill-queries-on-quit t)
911 ;; Kill buffers for server messages after quitting the server
912 ;; (setq erc-kill-server-buffer-on-quit t)
919 @c PRE5_4: (Node) Document every ERC option (module options go in
922 This section has not yet been written. For now, the easiest way to
923 check out the available options for ERC is to do
924 @kbd{M-x customize-group erc RET}.
927 @node Getting Help and Reporting Bugs
928 @chapter Getting Help and Reporting Bugs
929 @cindex help, getting
930 @cindex bugs, reporting
932 After you have read this guide, if you still have questions about ERC,
933 or if you have bugs to report, there are several places you can go.
938 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/ERC} is the
939 emacswiki.org page for ERC. Anyone may add tips, hints, or bug
943 There are several mailing lists for ERC. To subscribe, visit
944 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/mail/?group=erc}.
946 The mailing lists are also available on Gmane.
947 (@url{http://gmane.org/}). Gmane provides additional methods for
948 accessing the mailing lists, adding content to them, and searching them.
951 @item gmane.emacs.erc.announce: Announcements
953 @item gmane.emacs.erc.discuss: General discussion
955 @item gmane.emacs.erc.cvs: Log messages for changes to the ERC source code
960 You can visit the IRC Freenode channel @samp{#emacs}. Many of the
961 contributors are frequently around and willing to answer your
969 @cindex history, of ERC
971 ERC was originally written by Alexander L. Belikoff
972 @email{abel@@bfr.co.il} and Sergey Berezin
973 @email{sergey.berezin@@cs.cmu.edu}. They stopped development around
974 December 1999. Their last released version was ERC 2.0.
976 P.S.: If one of the original developers of ERC reads this, we'd like to
977 receive additional information for this file and hear comments in
983 In June 2001, Mario Lang @email{mlang@@delysid.org} and Alex Schroeder
984 @email{alex@@gnu.org} took over development and created a ERC Project at
985 @uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/erc}.
987 In reaction to a mail about the new ERC development effort, Sergey
988 Berezin said, ``First of all, I'm glad that my version of ERC is being
989 used out there. The thing is, I do not have free time and enough
990 incentive anymore to work on ERC, so I would be happy if you guys take
991 over the project entirely.''
993 So we happily hacked away on ERC, and soon after (September 2001)
994 released the next "stable" version, 2.1.
996 Most of the development of the new ERC happened on #emacs on
997 irc.openprojects.net. Over time, many people contributed code, ideas,
998 bugfixes, and a lot of alpha/beta/gamma testing.
1000 See the @file{CREDITS} file for a list of contributors.
1004 ERC 3.0 was released.
1008 ERC 4.0 was released.
1012 ERC 5.0 was released. Michael Olson @email{mwolson@@gnu.org} became
1013 the release manager and eventually the maintainer.
1015 After some discussion between him and the Emacs developers, it was
1016 decided to include ERC in Emacs.
1020 ERC 5.1 was released. It was subsequently included in Emacs 22.
1022 ERC became an official GNU project, and development moved to
1023 @uref{http://sv.gnu.org/projects/erc}. We switched to using GNU Arch as
1024 our revision control system. Our mailing list address changed as well.
1028 We switched to using git for our version control system.
1033 @appendix GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
1036 @node GNU Free Documentation License
1037 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
1038 @include doclicense.texi